Coca Cola lacks
responsibility...
by RALPH NADER
SOMETIME BEFORE the end of the year, the soft drink industry
expects to overtake coffee as the leading liquid beverage in
the United States. Having zoomed past milk in 1966, the family
of Coke, Pepsi, 7-Up, etc. now is racing to outpace the only
remaining liquid consumed in greater volume - drinking water.
Given this surge, three issues present themselves for con-
sumers. First, to express glee over the sales gains by soft
drinks due to contaminated drinking water is downright parasitic.
Insteadof trying to improve thehquality of the nat on water, the
indostry's trade joornal would have the putblic believe that soft
drinks suffer no such contamination and should be purchased
as a safeguard.
What evidence is there to back up such a recommendation
that soft drinks are that pure?
SECOND, WHAT are consumers receiving ytrtt.onally fromr
their consumption of soft drinks at an ever increasing rate? Paul
Austin, the head of Coca Cola, makes no nutritional claims for
Coca Cola. He simply says that his company is selling "a re-
freshing drink, nothing more, nothing less,." Although he denies
that Cokes have any adverse effect, his claim merits closer
scrutiny.
To the extent that soft drinks like Coke replace more nutr
linus beverages in the diet (for example, skim milk and ftut
juice), they replace such nutrients as calcium, vitamin A and
vitamin C with empty calories. Obesity and other health problems
can result.
Because the young are consuming such a large volume of
soft drinks, they are cultivating a demand for sugar, for things
sweet, for instant taste gratification that carries over to other
parts of the diet. Morever, the heavy sugar content of soft drinks r;
in childrens' diets contributes to tooth decay in the judgment
of a number of specialists.
AS THE LARGEST company in the industry, with over 42
per cent of the total market, Coca Cola has a special responsibil-
ity to rethink its corporate direction. Is it beyond its capability
to make both a nutritious and refreshing drink?
The evidence is that is can do just that but so vested is its
interest in selling Coke as it is that a conflict of interests has
developed. Why pioneer the new, the better and the venturesome
when the company can play it safe with the old, the diet-spoilerf
and the successful? Because the former is the right thing to f {
do. And when you are the biggest company by far in an inred-
ibly profitable industry, you can afford to pioneer.
At the least; think of the hungry or malnourished children
in this country and around the world, Mr. Austin, and of the
pipeline of nutrition which you can extent to them.
1972, Harrison-Blaine of New Jersey, Inc.
Freaks and ringes
a political kaleiloscope
...and its future
looks even better
By BILL LEAVITT
AUGUST, 1980 - In answer to inquiries concerning the
growth of Koca-cola, the soft drink conglomerate, the com-
pany's president, Al Cohol, recently held a press conference.
"Koca-cola has passed General Motors and is now the
largest company in the world," Cohol said. "In fact, residents
of the entire state of Idaho are being resettled to make room for
a new Koca-cola factory. I've just returned from the Sprite
House, where the President, the Secretary of the Treasury and
I completed the arrangements," he added. According to Cohol,
construction of the new factory will begin in 1912.
Cohol further stated that the company would be market-
ing nose plugs which should prevent swimmers in the nation's
lakes and rivers, from getting Koke in their noses.
"WE ALSO expect a big profit when the college students
return to school in the fall," Cohol continued, "from our new
item-Cola-beds. I don't know what those kids do on them, but
as our slogan says, 'Do it on Koke."'
Cohol refused to answer the recent charge by columnist
Jack Anderson, that Presidential candidate Edward Kennedy
was a milk drinkers and once collected empty milk bottles to
earn spending money.
"It's a vicious and completely unfounded attack upon a
public figure," Cohol said. "And besides, everyone knows milk
gives you cancer."
Cohol's golden yellow teeth glinted just then as photog-
raphers snapped his first smile.
The Anderson charge followed his recent claim that actor
Warren Beatty served a prison term for saying the word "un-
cola" in public.
"THE COMPANY is pleased," Cohol said, "that the nation
is responding so well to our "Meal in a Koke" campaign, despite
adverse propaganda."
Cohol referred to a recent charge by consumer advocate
Nalph Rader that the company's nutritional claims were false.
The company, in its "Meal in a Koke" campaign, had stated that
one glass of Koke contained the vitamins and nutrients of eight
pounds of steak, fourteen grapefruits, four avocados and a bowl
of pomegranates.
Although the steak, grapefruit, and avocado figures were
correct, according to Rader, the pomegranate figure was in-
-correct, and should have been '"one tablespoon of pomegra-
nates.
COHOL SAID that officers of the company were uncon-
cerned at the government's reduction in the price of drinking
water to ten-cents per bottle.
"There's always going to be some crackpot slashing prices
to compete with us," Cohol said. "We're not worried. After all,
for years The Michigan Daily has had the only nickel water
machine in the country."
Edited and managed by students at the
University of Michigan
Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual
opinions of the author. This must be noted in all reprints.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 3, 1972 News Phone: 764-0552
Editor's Note: Freedom of the press
is not a guarantee for only those
with whom we agree. Once we limit
another's freedoms, we have taken
the first step towards limiting our
own. Even the voluntary censor-
ship of unpopular ideas -- no matter
how repugnant some of them may be
to our sensibilities - could lead to
complete censorship. Then too, it's a
good idea to know what the other
fellow is thinking. With these
thoughts in mind, we regularly pub-
lish these uncensored extracts froi
America's not-so-popular press.
HITLER'S BIRTHDAY
Speakers at the "Hitler Birth-
day Party" in Trenton, New
Jersey were Frank Drager, Dy-
namic leader and organizer of
the White Action Movement,
Roy Frankhouser. a vital and
intense official of the Pennsyl-
vania United Klans of Ameri-
ca, and James H. Madole. Lead-
er of the National Rennaissance
Party.
There was newspaper cover-
age throughout the country,
considerable radio commentary
in different parts of the nation,.
and TV coverage by ABC-TV
which negotiated to have the
exclusive films of the rally.
Several bomb threats were made
to the Holiday by Jewish mili-
tants but none dared show up
in person.
After the rally all sorts of
boycott threats were 'issued by
the disciples of "freedom of
speech and assembly" through
the media of the Jewish Tele-
graphic Agency. With the Jews
freedom is always a one-way
street. NRP Leader Madole
praised Adolf Hitler as the
founder of the world's first Ra-
cial Nationalist government but
stressed Aryan rather than
Germanic Supremacy as our
goal!
-National Renaissance Bulletin
FREE ENTERPRISE
We hear a lot these days
about the "Fat Cats" of indus-
try who are paid big salaries by
the corporations. But what
about the amounts the unions
pay their leaders? Let's look at
a fewv figures: George Meany,
tas just raised from $70,000 to
$90,000 per year, right at a time
the pay board urged that in-
creases be held to not more
than 5.5 per cent; Frank Fitz-
simmons, president of the
Teamsters Union, gets $125,000
plus expenses; Joseph Curran,
of the Maritime Union, $102,000
plus expenses; James Jouse-
wright, Retail Clerks, $73,708;
Peter Fosco of the Laborers Un-
ion, $71,132; John H. Lyons,
Iron Workers, $77,674; Hunter
P. Wharton, Operating Engi-
neers, $93,000.
Now we have heard from both
sides: do two wrongs ever make
a right?
-The Brian Bex Report
KISSINGER AND RUSKIES
Each year for many years
a number of top U. S. govern-
nient officials have been invited
to attend an annual celebration
of extreme importance at the
Soviet Embassy in Washington,
D.C. A picture in The Washing-
ton Post of Nov. 6, 1971, shows
two grinning men with raised
champagne glasses. The cap-
tion reads: "Presidential ad-
visor Henry Kissinger toasts the
health of Soviet Ambassador
Anatoliy Dobrynin . . .
He was attending a celebra-
tion at the Soviet Embassy for
the 54th anniversary of the
Bolshevik Revolution. Kissinger
had just the day before been
named by the President to head
the new National Security
Council Intelligence Committee
-the most important and pow-
erful post in our government,
second only to that of President.
Kissinger's cordiality was of
singular interest since, accord-
ig to the FBI, Ambassador Do-
brynin is the most dangerous
KGB agent now operating in
the United States-the head of
ALL SOVIET ESPIONAGE AC-
TIVITIES IN OUR NATION.
-Humbard Christian Report
HODGSON SHOULD RESIGN
In behalf of the 60 million
American working men and wo-
men who have decided for one
reason or another that they
don't want to join a labor un-
ion, the National Right to Work
Committee has asked Labor
Secretary James D. Hodgson to
resign.
The Committee's action came
after the Secretary publicly en-
dorsed compulsory unionism at
a iews gathering at the Nation-
al Press Club . . .
The National Right to Work
Committee is a coalition of em-
ployees and employers estab-
lished in 1955 with a single
purpose; to protect the right of
every American worker to join
or not to join or pay due to a
union without losing his job.
The National Committee has
about 40,000 members and con-
tributors - about 16,000 of
therm workers.
-Free Choice
Copyright 1972 by SCHISM
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Letters to The Daily
e Daily: earn revenue by producing goods.
HN KOZA's ideas about a But the University's differ:nt
r board of regents m a y constituents share no such cim-
the point. The problem is oson goal. To say that all are
altogether who sits on the interested in "education" is
'ning board but the type of vague and confused. Certain
mation they have as a basis groups - the students - want a
deliberation. Koza's asser- diploma that costs little but has
that "the full-time execu- high prestige; the faculty wants
of the University maintain autonomy and high -alaries; tse
tual monopoly over present- legislature wants degrees p r c-
nformation to the Regents," duced expeditiously. Nothing is
ue, signifies the real prob- likely to change this fact, and
that interferes with proper given it, I see no reason to is-
'sentation for all interests. sume that Koza's plan will be
o bad, of course, that in especially helpful.
ice the regents are almost
ich, white men. Ideally, all REGENTS WOULD meet wit'
a and interests of society faculty members, with students,
irge would be represented with executives, with low and
ag regents. But to imagine middle level staff members, even
Koza that groups within the with legislators. Any ad hoc
ersity can supply fair-mid- group could apply for similar
epresentatives to a policy- privileges when it wished. The
ng body may be nonsense, point would be to avoid gi'i'
any group more direct, person-
al access to the regents than aniy
MOCRATIZATION of t 1h t
could work in a factory, othei
e both workers and manage- --Blanchard Hiatt
perceive a clear goal -- to Aug. 1
Today's Staff .. .
News: Jim Kentch, Alan Lenhoff, Diane Levick
Editorial Page: Carlo Rapaport
Photo Technician: Jim Wallace